Unwrapping Tess (A Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance)(Vegas Mates Book 5): Christmas Encounters (4 page)

“True.” She pushed open the swinging kitchen door and beckoned him to follow.
 

He didn’t have to be asked twice.
 

The kitchen lights buzzed to life, bathing a huge, professional kitchen in fluorescent light. His brother had done an excellent job restoring this old place. He remembered how old and decrepit it’d been when they were kids. Now there were shining, state-of-the-art, stainless-steel appliances. Countertops that seemed to stretch for miles. And a really cool kidney bean-shaped, butcher block island in the center with a half-dozen barstools.

“This is really nice,” Patrick said.

“It is. Hallie and I helped Scott and Margaret when they were just getting the project started. It’s hard to believe that something so old and dirty could look like this now.” She waved her hand around the kitchen. “It’s huge and fabulous, but it’s also—”

“Home,” he finished, sinking onto one of the padded leather barstools.

She smiled and walked to his side. “Exactly.”

He twisted on the barstool and pulled her between his legs. Leaning down, he captured her head in his hands and covered her mouth with his. Her lips were so soft.
Damn.
Her whole body was soft against his. Pliable and delicious. The scent of sex clung to both of them and he suddenly lost all interest in food.

She mewled into his mouth, submitting to his tongue’s every desire. He swept it along her lips. Then deep into her mouth, tasting every bit of it.

The door behind them creaked. Tess pulled away and gasped. His gaze followed hers and landed on the face of her oldest sister, Sam. At least that’s who he thought it was.

The name
Sam
squeaked from Tess’s lips, confirming his suspicions.

“Cat’s out of the bag now,”
his bear chuckled.
“Or should I say bear? Or wolf?”

Shut it, smart ass!

“I suppose this explains why the two of you were missing during dinner. Patrick, your brother was so disappointed that you disappeared. You were all he’d been talking about,” Sam said, walking across the kitchen to the large, double freezer.

Her words stung and Patrick frowned. He hadn’t meant to cause a problem. The whole thing had started so fast.
 

“Haven’t either of you heard of something called a cell phone? We called and texted you a half-dozen times. You could’ve at least let us know you were together doing the—”

“Sam!” Tess scrambled and slithered from Patrick’s grasp.

He had to bite back a growl.
 

“What? After walking in on that kiss, it’s more than obvious.” Sam opened the freezer and pulled out a pint of Rocky Road. “Holy shit! You two are mates, aren’t you?” She wiggled a finger at Tess and then at him. “Have you bitten her yet?” She scurried to her sister’s side and pulled the neck of her shirt to the side.

Tess slapped her sister’s hands away and hissed. “Stop it. We haven’t gotten that far yet. I thought it would be best to at least—”

“Tell someone before you go bite each other?”

“She is my fated match,” he rumbled, standing from the stool.

“I’m not arguing with you, but Tess is a Demakis. At the very least, she should formally announce the engagement, so-to-speak.” Sam pulled a spoon from a drawer in the island and dropped it onto the counter next to her ice cream.

 
Patrick spoke up. “There’s not even a council anymore. This shouldn’t be an issue.” He could see Tess’s face turning red.

Sam cocked her head to the side and gave him a strange look. “Fine. Bite each other. Do whatever you want. No one will stop you.” She pulled the lid off the ice cream and tossed it into the open garbage bin a few feet away. “Oh, and since you missed dinner, you missed Chase’s and my announcement. We are pregnant. So, I’m going to go back upstairs to my sleeping husband to eat ice-cream in bed while he snores.”

“I’m not snoring, thank you very much,” Chase answered, strolling into the kitchen.

“Oh my gods! Sam! Chase! That’s so exciting!” Tess squealed, embracing her sister and then running to her brother-in-law and giving him a big hug as well. “I’m so happy for you two.”

He walked to Sam’s side and embraced her. “You should’ve let me get you some ice cream. You didn’t have to get out of bed.”

Patrick met Sam’s gaze and she winked at him.

“Oh yes I did, I heard these two trying to sneak in and I had to come investigate. Plus, I didn’t want to wake you. I’m not an invalid. I’m just pregnant.”

Chase shook his head. “You Demakis women are so stubborn.” He turned to Tess. “If you want to be with Patrick, I think he would be a good match for you.”

“Thank you, Chase.”

He nodded. “Melinda was worried about how you were handling New York. She said your heart wasn’t in the city.” Chase glanced up and Patrick caught the pack Alpha’s gaze as he continued speaking to Tess. “You belong out here. Woodhaven and these mountains became your home a long time ago.”

Chase was a large man. Not as big as the O’Hearn brothers, but still a formidable human. According to Scott, he’d been running the Vegas pack fairly and smoothly since everything went to hell two years ago in Greece. Chase Michaels was technically the one who needed to give his blessing for the union to take place, since neither of Tess’s parents was still alive.

“Thank you, Mr. Michaels,” Patrick said. He knew Tess’s Alpha had just released her from the pack hierarchy. She was free to choose to stay in Utah. Free to choose him as her mate. He knew leaving the pack had been weighing heavily on her.

The shifter shook his head. “Please, call me Chase.”

Patrick smiled and nodded again. Tess returned to his side and he slid an arm around her waist.

Sam grabbed her ice cream and spoon and Chase herded her from the kitchen. “Be sure to turn off the lights when you leave,” he hollered over his shoulder.

“Will do,” Tess shouted back.

“
Shhh!
Are you trying to wake the whole place?” Patrick winced, his voice coming out louder than he’d intended.
 

Tess’s eyes widened. “Would that be a problem for you?”

He huffed and squeezed her close. “Yes, because then I would be interrupted from tasting your delicious body once again.” He dipped his head to her neck and nibbled. Her scent filled his lungs and his entire body shivered with excitement.

“Oh,” she giggled against his neck. “When you put it that way, I guess I see your point.”

CHAPTER SIX

Tess giggled and pulled away from Patrick. “I’m starving.”

He cocked an eyebrow and flashed her a lopsided grin.

“Not that!” She wagged a finger at him and then turned to the fridge.
 

“Why not? I’m game for more.”

I swear you are hornier than I am.
She bit back a giggle.
We’ve already been at it more in the last twenty-four hours than I’ve had in the last two years.

“You afraid he’s gonna get bored?”

Hell no! But please, just let me eat.

She pulled out some eggs and bacon and put them on the counter behind her. In a few minutes she had bacon sizzling in a skillet and eggs scrambled and ready to eat. Grabbing a couple of plates from below the island, she scooped out a large helping of eggs and put several slices of bacon on the first plate and only a slightly smaller portion on the second. She topped it off with a little salt and pepper and carried the plates around to where Patrick sat quietly watching her.

“Thank you,” he said, taking both plates and putting them on the counter.
 

She walked back to the fridge, pulled out a pitcher of orange juice, and poured them both a glass before returning to her seat next to him.

“It’s not dinner. But—”

“It’s delicious,” he interrupted, digging into his mound of scrambled eggs. “Please don’t ever apologize for feeding me. This is the first home cooking I’ve had in four years.”

Tess looked up at Patrick and watched him for a moment. His dark hair had grown out a little from the military buzz cut. She could see where small curls were beginning to form around his ears and the base of his neck. She couldn’t wait to see it in about a month and run her fingers through the thick mop of wavy hair she was imagining.

His jawline was squared and strong. His cornflower blue eyes flashed toward her for a second, but he didn’t speak. Love flowed through the bond to her and she smiled. It was certainly a nice way to communicate.
 

She could see why her sisters were so absolutely in love with their mates. Everything was out in the open. There were no doubts, no hidden feelings. She could love freely without wondering if the affections were truly returned. The few human men she’d dated over the course of her short life had mostly turned out to be losers. Shifters tried not to date each other before the age of twenty-five to avoid partially bonding to someone who may not be their match.

He’s beautiful, isn’t he?

“You don’t have to tell me. I can see him for myself. And in case you hadn’t noticed, I’d like very much to go upstairs and seal this deal permanently. You heard Chase. That was more than enough blessing for me.”
Her wolf’s words ran through her mind and she smiled. Joy filled her heart. Her mate was here—in Woodhaven. She didn’t have to go back to Vegas or New York. It was a wish she’d never breathed a word to anyone about and yet, they all seemed to know.

It’s enough for me, too.

He smiled down at her again and stood, taking their empty plates over to the sink. “Is your wolf talking your ear off like my bear is?” he asked over his shoulder, as he rinsed the dishes.

“Just a little,” she answered, biting her bottom lip.

“You started the last conversation. Don’t go throwing me under the bus.”

Tess rolled her eyes and slid down from the bar stool. Patrick dried his hands on the towel hanging from the front of the oven and then moved quickly to her side. It amazed her that for such a large man, he moved with the same graceful predatory gait that she recognized in the wolf pack males. He was at least six inches taller than most of them and probably outweighed them by fifty pounds of muscle mass.

Muscles she couldn’t wait to run her hands up and down again once they were upstairs in bed. A quick shower was in order first. She didn’t want to sully those nice, clean sheets after their romp in the cave or the equally thrilling one in the work shed.

He nuzzled her hair and kissed the top of her head as he led her to the wall panel with all the lights. They turned everything off and left the kitchen just as they’d found it.
 

Taking the grand stairs in the center of the inn, they made their way as quietly as they could to Patrick’s room, with a quick side trip to hers.
 

She quickly returned to his side, carrying a bag of her soaps and shampoos as well as a change of clothes for the morning. She refused to show her face the next day in the same clothes she’d been wearing when she arrived. They were dirty, anyway.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to just grab all your stuff and move it?” he whispered, opening the door to his room at the opposite end of the hallway.

“Not right now. Maybe tomorrow,” she answered, grinning up at him. She felt the sudden rush of arousal pour through the bond, making her tingle from head to foot. He liked the idea of her sharing his room. She liked it, too.

“I can live with that.” He closed the door behind them and locked it.

Tess put her things on the dresser across from the bed and stretched, a small mewling yawn escaped before she could cover her mouth.

“You need to get some rest.” He began to turn down the bed.

“Oh no!” She ran to his side and yanked him away before he could sit. “We both need to wash off the grime of the day before getting in that crisp, clean bed.”

“A shower? Together?” His eyes twinkled with the mischievous glint only a man could give and a smile that could tempt any sane woman out of her panties in mere seconds.
 

“Just a shower,” she designated, yawning again. “As much as my wolf and I would like to ravish you again, my body is just plumb tuckered out.”

“I supposed a good scrubbing is called for, but only if I get to loofah you.” He entered the bathroom and a moment later, she heard the sound of water thrumming against the shower walls.

Stripping out of her clothes, she tossed them to one corner of the bathroom and made a bee-line for the shower. Patrick was already naked and in the shower.
 

“What, you couldn’t wait for me?” She stepped in and hissed. The water was ice cold. “Shit!” She slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle her screech.

“Way to wake up the whole floor, sweetheart,” he said, a low chuckle echoing in the large glass stall. He adjusted the knobs on the wall and the water instantly changed from arctic to tropical. Steam filled the shower and the three glass walls of the shower began to fog.

She shivered one last time and stepped back into the streaming jets of water. The warmth soothed her tired muscles and she sighed as he began to lather soap over her body. He started in her hair and slowly worked his way down until he was kneeling at her ankles. Then he stood and adjusted the shower head to rinse her off. She’d closed her eyes and relaxed into his massaging touch. When he finished, she couldn’t help but be a little disappointed.
 

“Go get in bed, I’ll be there shortly.” He ran his hand over one of her breasts and pinched a nipple. “Towels are hanging on the wall.”

She mumbled something incoherent and exited the shower, doing her best not to trip over the lip at the bottom of the door. Her brain was foggy and all she could focus on was making it into bed.
 

Fumbling along the wall, her half-opened eyes finally locked on the white towels. She grabbed one from the warmer and quickly massaged most of the water out of her hair. After toweling off the rest of her damp skin, she hung it back on the warmer and hurried to the bed. It wasn’t freezing in the room, but it definitely was holding a chill.

Sliding between the sheets, she pulled up the heavy down comforter and snuggled deep into the mound of pillows at the headboard. Patrick’s warmth joined her in the bed a few minutes later and she drifted off to dreamland as his arm wrapped around her middle, pulling her tight against his chest.